Name:
Pope Simplicius
Preceded by: St. Hilarius (461 - 468)
Succeeded by: St. Felix III (II) (483 - 492)
Roman Catholic Pope #47
Dates:
Born: ? (Italy)
Died: March 10, 483
Pope: March 3, 468 - March 10, 483 (15 years)
Biography:
Simplicius was pope at the time that the last Roman emperor of the West, Romulus Augustus,
was deposed by the German general Odoacer. This was an important time because the Western
Roman Empire disintegrated into several romanized, but non-Roman, provinces. As a
consequence, the only centralized authority remaining which migiht have any claim to the
legacy of the Roman Empire itself was the Roman Catholic Church with the pope at its head.
In reality, however, the power and prestige of the pope was in decline at this time, It was in part due to conflicts with the Eastern Church demanding equivalent status for Constantinople as Rome - but primarily it was due to conflicts over the the Monophysite heresy which was developing in the East.
Also Known As: none
Alternate Spellings: none
Common Misspellings: none
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